Another Love
by dreamthief19
Summary: Based on "Another Love" by Tom Odell. Hermione and Draco have just experienced separate heartbreaks when they meet again four years after the war. With both of them broken, will they be able to overcome their heartaches enough to be with each other? Or have they been shattered beyond repair by another love? (Rated M for language, no lemons) Completed.
1. Overture

**A/N: I've never written anything before so.. be kind? I suppose. This was only supposed to be a one-shot but I don't wanna write the entire thing if no one is going to read it so this is just the very beginning. Super short, I know. I have a billion ideas but it's hard to articulate those thoughts into an actual story so I figured a one-shot was a decent place to start. However it's probably gonna end up being multiple chapters instead.. Not sure yet because this is all I've written so far. Anyway, this fic is loosely based on "Another Love" by Tom Odell, check it out, if you want!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, it belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

When he first saw her after the war it had been four years. She was sitting at a table in a coffee shop in muggle London by herself. His first thought was that she looked defeated. Her hands were wrapped around her mug as if her life depended on it. Her eyes, once bright and full of life, were glazed over as she looked off into the distance out the shop window. She was wearing an oversized jumper and muggle jeans. Her once curly and out of control hair seemed flat and deflated as it lay down her back. Draco knew he shouldn't just stand there and stare, especially considering it was cold and raining, but he couldn't look away. In the second he finally decided he was going to walk away and pretend it never happened her brown eyes seemed to lock exactly on his grey ones. Not knowing what else to do he politely nodded, broke eye contact, then walked away.

* * *

The next time he saw her it was two weeks later. She was, once again, sitting by herself in that damn coffee shop. She appeared much the same as she did the last time he saw her. He wondered why she looked so crushed the last time he saw her and discovered that the Weasel had cheated on her and broke off their four-year relationship. Every scandalous detail was splashed across the pages of The Daily Prophet. Draco couldn't say he was surprised by this turn of events. Weasley always was a gigantic tosser. He'd never understood why someone like her was interested in him to begin with. For a reason he couldn't understand, he felt as if he should talk to her. Merlin knew why, considering everyone, especially her, hated him. Walking into the coffee shop he purposefully kept his eyes straight ahead, pretending he wasn't aware of her presence. Out of the corner of his eye he saw her and immediately decided this was a foolish idea. After ordering a coffee, black, he turned around and headed to the door, intent on leaving without a word. He thought he could do this, but he couldn't. He needed to get out of there as soon as possible before she-

"Malfoy?"

He froze. His heart was thumping so loud he could've sworn everyone in that fucking shop could hear it. Straightening his spine and attempting to mask his face into one of confident indifference, he turned to her.

"Granger," he smoothly replied. Looking at her straight on, and up-close for the first time was daunting. She looked like a ghost. Her skin was paler than usual, and she had purple splotches under her eyes. Her hair looked unbrushed, more so than usual. Her jumper was stained in a few places and her jeans had holes in them.

"I thought that was you. Wh-What are you doing here? I mean this isn't.. I'm surprised to see you in _this_ part of London, that is," she murmured quietly.

"Yes, well, things change, Granger. If you'll excuse me I have somewhere to be," he calmly drawled.

"Right. Of course. It was nice seeing you.." she trailed off.

He knew he shouldn't care. He doesn't care. But the look in her eyes.. the _fucking_ look in her eyes. She looked so defeated but, and he was probably imagining it, it almost looked like she had some life back in her eyes when she recognized him. Then when he brushed her off with his vague lie she instantly deflated again. After realizing he was just staring at her while he was internally struggling, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Alright, Granger?" he inquired, not making eye contact.

"Quite fine, thank you. I should get going too. Goodbye, Malfoy," she hastily said, as she gathered her things then left.

* * *

The next time they saw each other it was at a park. This time, he was the one who was a mess. His shirt was untucked on one side, the buttons at the top were undone, and his tie was loosely hanging around his neck. His hair was in disarray, as if he had been running his hands through it non-stop. He looked similar to how he looked back in sixth year, when in the prime of his Death Eater days. Pale skin, purple bruises under his eyes, incredibly thin; this time he was the ghost. Hermione was sitting on a blanket with her back pressed against the trunk of a tree, book in her hand, when she saw him. She hadn't thought much of Draco Malfoy after the war ended. She, like Harry and Ron, had attended his trial and attempted to keep him out of Azkaban. Her more so than the boys. She never liked Malfoy, don't misconstrue her feelings. She just simply never agreed with the idea that he was a murderer or anywhere half as bad as the other Death Eaters. It was obvious to her that he never wanted that life. Malfoy may have been a bigot and a bully at school, but he was not an evil monster who wanted to serve Voldemort. Anyone who saw him sixth year could attest to that. However, the reason she believed in his innocence more than the boys had everything to do with that night at Malfoy Manor. As she was being tortured by Bellatrix she saw Malfoy. For one second as the spell abided and her screaming stopped they made eye contact. That one second was enough for her to tell that he didn't want the life he was living. He was terrified. He was miserable. He was broken.

He had the same look now.

* * *

"Alright, Malfoy?"

Draco stopped and looked around confused. There, sitting on the ground with a book in her hand, was Hermione Granger. She looked better than the last time he saw her. Her hair, though still ratty and unkempt, was in a ponytail. Her jumper was clean this time, and her jeans intact. The bags under her eyes weren't as prominent this time and she wasn't as pale or thin as before, but her eyes still had a deadened look to them. Overall, she still looked a mess. Although he supposed he didn't really have room to talk about someone else looking a mess considering his own appearance. The past three weeks he had been working tirelessly to divorce his cheating whore of a wife Astoria. After the war he didn't have many prospects for companionship, but he thought he had found at the least a friend in the youngest Greengrass sister. Over time they eventually developed a budding romance that led to him asking for her hand in marriage. He didn't exactly love her, but he needed an heir, and she was quite nice to look at and converse with. It wasn't like he had any other options, being an ex-Death Eater and all. They had been married the last two years and hadn't been able to produce an heir yet. Apparently his lovely wife decided she wanted to keep his family's fortune and since she wasn't being impregnated by him fast enough she sought out another option in the form of Adrian Pucey. Too bad Pucey has a big mouth and was bragging about his latest conquest at a local pub. As of this morning the divorce was official, and the weeks of stress and misery were clearly catching up to him.

"Just peachy, Granger," he drawled. "You?"

"Fine, I'm fine," she murmured with a small smile.

"That's excellent," he deadpanned. "I'm going to walk away now. See ya."

He didn't want to be an arsehole, but he really wasn't in the mood to have a conversation with the golden princess. Walking away, he didn't see the small look of disappointment that crossed her features.

 **A/N: ? They're both in a bad place right now, but it'll pick up more soon. I've already started writing chapter two sooo x**


	2. Daffodils (So You Know I Care)

**A/N: Hi again! Completely overwhelmed so many people even saw the first chapter of this! That's crazy! I'm not a professional writer, nor will I ever be, but I've always wanted to write out all the little ideas in my head so this is a nice outlet. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I try to catch them all because I'm quite picky, but I do make some mistakes! Thank you for the reviews so far, it means a lot! This chapter actually begins the story (the song). I don't have an outline or anything so I'm just gonna go with the flow and see what happens!**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Harry Potter. Would looooove to own Draco Malfoy though.**

 _"I wanna take you somewhere so you know I care_

 _But it's so cold and I don't know where_

 _I brought you daffodils in a pretty string_

 _But they won't flower like they did last spring"_

* * *

He hadn't thought much of Granger in the past two weeks since he'd seen her last. However, reading The Daily Prophet this morning he couldn't help but think of her. Think of her, feel bad for her, feel guilty for being so rude to her the last time they spoke. The cover story today featured a picture of that disgusting ginger git trying to eat some poor girl's face- at least that's what it looked like. That wasn't the part that had his interest though. No, that would be the sight of Granger walking out of the building behind the ginger, seeing the disgusting mating ritual happening in front of her, and watching her heart break all over again. He couldn't stop watching the image as it repeated, over and over again. The small smile on her face before her entire body seemed to deflate as she quickly averted her eyes and ran away. He didn't know why, but he felt he should reach out to her. Just to make sure she's okay, because they're in similar situations, not because he actually cared or something ridiculous like that. Yeah, he definitely didn't care for that annoying, bossy, beautiful know-it-all. _Wait what?_ Shaking the ridiculous thought from his sleep-deprived mind, he grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment before he totally came back to his senses.

 _Miss Granger,_

 _I hope this letter finds you in good health. It has come to my attention that perhaps I might have been a tad rude the last time we spoke. Would you allow me to make it up to you?_

 _Sincerely,_

 _Draco L. Malfoy_

* * *

She was in her new apartment sitting on her "vintage" couch when she heard a tapping at the window. Curious, she got up and let the regal looking owl in. She'd never seen this owl before, but that wasn't saying much considering the amount of mail she'd been receiving lately due to those stupid Prophet articles. She just hoped this one wasn't hate mail or another howler. Upon opening the parchment and quickly reading it her heart skipped a beat. Malfoy? _Draco Malfoy_ wanted to see _her?_ Unsure what to do she slipped the owl some treats from the bowl on the window sill and went in search of some parchment. Quickly scrawling out a reply, she attached it to the owl's foot and watched it immediately take flight back out her window. Sitting back down she thought about what had happened between her and Malfoy a few weeks back. She knew the only reason he had been rude and blown her off was because he clearly wasn't having a good day. At least, she had had her hopes that was why. She hadn't really done anything worthy of deserving such a brush-off so it seemed the only reasonable explanation. She wasn't sure why he wanted to make it up to her or if this was some kind of trick but it's not like she had anything to lose anymore. Crookshanks popped up on the couch and curled up against her legs. She gently pet his head before relaxing against the back of the couch and closing her eyes.

* * *

He was sitting in his study on his fourth drink when his owl returned with her reply. He waved the regal beast over and gave his head a pet before detaching the parchment from his leg. Opening it up he read:

 _Malfoy,_

 _I am well, thank you. I hope you can say the same. I don't believe there is anything to make up, but if you'd like to, who am I to decline? Owl me back with the details and I will be there._

 _Thank you,_

 _Hermione J. Granger_

She accepted his invitation? He couldn't say he wasn't surprised. He was genuine in his wish to make it up to her, but with their history he didn't know if he'd get the chance. Not knowing what she was expecting, he wasn't sure where to take her. It was the dead of winter now, so anything outdoors or that involved a walk seemed an improbable decision. He wanted to take her somewhere nice though, to show he cared. _Erm._ To show he .. was sorry? Oh who was he kidding, for some reason, he cared. Maybe it was because he now knew what she was going through. He knew what it was like to have the person you're committed to betray you. Maybe she accepted because she knew he was going through the same shit she was. Maybe she just didn't want to be a broken person by herself. It was a damn lonely existence. He made a decision right then that it didn't matter that they were both broken, he was going to try to make this work. At the very least, he needed a new companion, and she seemed to need one too. He walked outside into his mother's garden and looked for a flower that wasn't dead in this dreadful weather. After walking back inside, he found a piece of parchment and scrawled a reply with the details of where he wanted to meet. Maybe his rash decision this morning wouldn't come back to bite him in the arse afterall.

* * *

She awoke from her slumber when a knock sounded on her door. Getting up she glanced in the mirror hanging on the wall and grimaced at her appearance. She truly looked a mess. _Oh well, not like I have anyone to impress anyway._ With a yawn she opened up the door and looked at her visitor with wary eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she slowly asked.

"I came to see how you're doing, Hermione. I'm worried about you," came the soft-spoken reply of Harry Potter.

"I'm fine, Harry," she lied with a small but hopefully convincing smile on her face.

"I've known you since I was eleven, Hermione. I may be daft sometimes but I know when you're lying to me," he gently admonished.

"I'm sorry Harry, I just-" she began, before being interrupted by an owl screeching at the window inside her apartment. Turning back around to face Harry she raised one finger in a "I'll be back in one minute" motion before walking off to let the poor owl in. Recognizing Malfoy's owl this time she eagerly detached his parchment, when something fell out of it and onto the floor. She reached down to get it when a masculine hand intercepted it.

"Who's sending you dead flowers, Mione?" Harry warily inquired.

Gently snatching the flower out of his hand, she ignored him for the time being and quickly read the letter.

 _Granger,_

 _I'm fine, thanks. Be that as it may, I would still like to make amends. The horrid weather doesn't allow for much at the moment, but we can meet at that coffee shop in muggle London perhaps? If you're free, I'll be there tomorrow morning at 8. I look forward to making your acquaintance again._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Draco L. Malfoy_

 _P.S. The squashed daffodil was the only almost-living flower I could find on short notice, but it seems oddly appropriate, don't you think?_

She smiled remembering that daffodils, also known as the narcissus flower, represented new beginnings. She was lost in her own world for a minute before hearing the sound of someone clearing their throat. She jumped, forgetting that Harry had ignored her warning and was standing right next to her with a suspicious look in his eye.

"Hermione? Who's the flower from?" he questioned again.

"I'm not sure, Harry. A friend, I think. I hope," she murmured, still smiling and looking at the squashed daffodil.

* * *

 **A/N: Two chapters in one day? I know, I know. Probably will never happen again but I'm procrastinating pretty bad and your reviews inspired me to write some more! So if things seem a little random so far I promise it would make more sense if you listened to the song. That's why I'm going to be attaching the lyrics at the top of the chapters. I know things are moving fast with Draco and Hermione and I left out a lot of details about everything that's happened but I did it on purpose because this isn't going to be a novel, it's just a short little song fic. The story is going to directly coincide with the lyrics so it might not always make you happy, but I'm gonna try to make it a good story regardless! Thank you all for reading, it means the world to me!**


	3. Used Up

**A/N: Hopefully it's getting a little more interesting now, eh? Thank you for the lovely reviews and to the people who have favorited and followed! That's crazy, I'm so glad people are actually reading this! Writing a fic is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be, but I hope everything reads okay and is somewhat realistic. Thanks to everyone for reading :)**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, still not J.K. Rowling.**

 _And I wanna kiss you, make you feel alright_

 _I'm just so tired to share my nights_

 _I wanna cry and I wanna love_

 _But all my tears have been used up_

* * *

He was sitting at her table in the coffee shop at 8 am, exactly like he said he would be. She thought back to her argument with Harry the day before after she received Malfoy's owl with the flower.

 _"A friend? No offense Mione, but I've never seen you smile like that over someone who was just a friend. What's going on here? I thought you were still upset over what happened with R-" Harry began before she cut him off._

 _"Please do not mention that traitorous bastard to me, Harry. I am perfectly entitled to have a boyfriend if I so desire after what that arse did to me. However if you must know, the letter truly was from someone I only hope to become friends with," she said heatedly._

 _Harry seemed a bit conflicted on what to do next. On one hand this is the most emotion she's expressed in the months since everything went to hell with her marriage, but on the other he seemed truly distraught over the thought of someone new sending her flowers and making her smile._

 _"Hermione.. you know that I think he's a right git for treating you the way he did. But should you really be rushing into something new right now? You had feelings for him throughout all your years at Hogwarts and you married him, for Godric's sake. I know things are a mess right now, but isn't there at least a tiny chance things might go back to the way they were someday.." he trailed off, seeing her angry expression._

 _"No, Harry, there is no chance that things will ever go back to the way they were someday. He cheated on me. After four years, Harry. FOUR YEARS TOGETHER. He ruins our entire relationship over some cheap slag! No Harry I'm sorry but as much as I love you and Ginny and the entire Weasley family I just can't do that to myself. I deserve someone better than that, I respect myself more than that. I understand if you want to choose his side because he's still your family and I don't want to cause drama in the family but I just can't do that, I can't go back," she said quietly, but firmly._

 _"I'm so sorry, Hermione. You're my family too, I could never choose sides. I just wanted you to be sure you were doing this for the right reasons and not as a rebound or to hurt his feelings," he said emphatically._

 _"I'm not jumping into some relationship, Harry. I'm just going for some coffee with someone I think I might become good friends with. We're both in similar situations right now and I just think this could be good for me," she smiled softly, placing her hand on his arm._

 _"Just be careful, Mione. You still seem hurt and I don't want anyone to make you feel any worse, okay? Who is this guy, anyway?" he attempted to say nonchalantly._

 _"Draco Malfoy."_

 _"WHAT?"_

After pleading with Harry for twenty minutes to stop freaking out she finally convinced him that Malfoy wouldn't try to harm her physically or emotionally. Now here she was standing outside of the coffee shop looking at him through the window. As she walked through the door his head looked up and the edge of his mouth turned up slightly in a pretty sad attempt at a smile, but it was an attempt nonetheless. He was still undeniably a mess. He was dressed much better today and looked very well put together, but he was still very thin, pale, and his hands appeared to be shaking.

"Hi Malfoy," she said with a small smile as she sat down across from him.

"Granger," he nodded in polite greeting. "I'm glad to see you accepted my invitation. I'd like to apologize for being rude the last time we spoke." He looked sincerely into her eyes as he spoke.

"It's really no problem, Malfoy. You looked.." she awkwardly cleared her throat at his stony stare. "Um, nevermind. So, how have you been?"

At that moment a waitress walked over and handed Hermione her usual order of a coffee and blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese. As she spread the cream cheese on the bagel Malfoy began to hesitantly speak.

"I've definitely been better, but I've also been worse," he laughed harshly.

"Would you.. I mean, did you.. Uh that is, if you'd like to talk about it , I'm a good listener," she stuttered out.

He seemed to appraise her for awhile before slowly nodding.

* * *

He wasn't sure if he wanted to open up to Granger about all of the current shit going on his life but it seemed only fair considering he knew a lot about her personal life thanks to the papers. Draco wasn't usually the type of person who opened up to people. His personal life was his business and his business alone. Some things just weren't meant to be discussed with other people because other people usually aren't trustworthy. He supposed maybe just Slytherins weren't trustworthy, because the Gryffindor sitting in front of him didn't have that malicious gleam in her eye. No, she looked like she was genuinely interested in his well-being. How strange. Nodding slowly he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt and hope she didn't screw things up for him.

"You might have read about it in the papers already but I recently got divorced. Apparently my lovely wife thought that if she provided me an heir that she would be able to spend my money for the rest of her life. She wasn't wrong, if she had mothered my child I would have kept her around. However, it wasn't happening for us and I suppose she got tired of waiting so she slept with someone else in attempt to pass off their child as our own," he smirked. "Too bad her little scheme didn't work. That day in the park was the day our divorce became official."

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling awkward for saying so much about his private life to someone he hardly knew. Granger had her elbow resting on the table with her face on her hand and was staring at him with something that looked like a mix between compassion and pity.

"Ron cheated on me too. He didn't even have a reason though, guess he just thought I wasn't worth it anymore," she laughed bitterly. Looking down at her coffee and stirring it with her free hand she continued to talk. "I think that's the worst part of this whole thing. I mean, don't get me wrong, the betrayal hurt like a bitch. But there wasn't even a reason for it. He just woke up one day and decided that he didn't love me anymore. He decided that rather than break things off with me or attempt to talk to me about whatever I was doing that was clearly making him unhappy, he would just go sleep with someone else. I didn't even know his feelings for me had changed, I thought that we were still-" she suddenly choked and looking like she was holding back tears. "I thought we were still in love, you know? I still loved him."

Draco wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with an almost crying woman in public. Was he supposed to comfort her? Was she expecting him to console her for being upset over that worthless git that broke her? How was he supposed to make someone else feel better when he was in the exact same situation himself? No, he wasn't in love with Astoria, but he did love her. The betrayal still hurt like hell. He wanted to make her feel better about what happened but he couldn't do so without being a hypocrite. Draco suddenly couldn't take being in this situation anymore, he had to get out of there as fast as he could. He refused to break down in front of this already broken woman.

"I just realized that I have somewhere I need to be," he muttered while hastily grabbing his coat and standing up.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she nervously laughed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"No that's not.. I didn't mean.." he stuttered.

He ran his hand over his face, sighing deeply. Slowly as not to startle her he grabbed her right hand and lifted it to his lips. "I'm sorry, Granger. You deserve better than that Weasel, I hope you know that," he murmured against her skin, then gently brushed his lips across her knuckles. Letting go of her hand he ignored the shocked look in her eyes and walked out of the shop door.

He shouldn't have done that. He really shouldn't have done that. Merlin, that woman drove him crazy. His life was a mess, he didn't have time to comfort her, he was the one who needed comfort, _dammit._ But the look on her face. Seeing her cry and talk about how Weasley left her this shattered imitation of herself made something in him snap. He suddenly didn't care that he was just as broken as she was, he wanted to make her feel better. He wanted to be a hypocrite and tell her everything was going to be okay, even if he couldn't convince himself that it was the truth. She might truly deserve better than the Weasel, but she also deserved better than him.

What good would she have for a broken man in her already broken world.

* * *

She could still feel the ghost of his warm breath on her fingers even after he was long gone. He kissed her. _Draco Malfoy_ kissed _her_ hand. If sometime had told her years ago, hell, even weeks ago that Malfoy would have done something so intimate to her she would've called them insane. She found herself smiling again, only her second genuine smile in the past few months, and once again thanks to Draco Malfoy.

She still felt a bit embarrassed about completely unloading her emotional baggage on him and then proceeding to almost _cry_ in front of the man. After hearing his story about his ex-wife, she just wanted him to feel like he wasn't alone. She didn't think he even noticed it but when he spoke of her his eyes were glazed and he looked truly miserable. Opening up about her own heartbreak wasn't intentionally her plan but she just couldn't bear the thought of him thinking he was alone in his situation. It was clear he didn't open up often about his problems, and she just wanted to help make him feel better. Of course once she opened up the can of worms on her own emotional turmoil she just rambled on and on and forgot she was the one who was supposed to be consoling him.

His immediate departure was obviously an excuse to get away from the pathetic weeping woman in public, making her feel mortified. However, his light kiss and his sweet words of goodbye made her think maybe she hadn't scared him off entirely. She realized, of course, that it was probably foolish for the both of them to begin.. whatever this new relationship was considering their current shattered state of minds, but she couldn't help but not care. So what if she was broken and he was too? Spending time with him made her feel like a little bit of life was back in her life.

So even though it was undeniably stupid and probably selfish, she decided she was going to fight to keep him around. Who knows, maybe they'll eventually find a way to heal each other in the end.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter is a little bit longer than my last two, so that's an accomplishment! We got some more backstory here and insight on how they're both feeling about their situations and each other. Thanks again to everyone reading! I don't know how long this story will end up being but I'll write the next part as soon as I decide where I wanna go from here! Lol**

 **EDIT: I am going to continue this story, I promise! I'm just busy with university work at the moment, but I will post an update really soon! Thank you everyone for following/favoriting/reviewing :)**


	4. I Wanna Fight (I Know I'll Lose)

**A/N: Sooooo.. yikes. I know! It's taken me MONTHS to get an update out. Honestly, I have a ton of excuses. I really do. But you don't want to hear them, so go on and get to reading. I know you wanna.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it. If I did I probably never would have finished it. Props to you, J.K., props to you.**

 _And if somebody hurts you, I wanna fight_

 _But my hands been broken, one too many times_

 _So I'll use my voice, I'll be so fucking rude_

 _Words they always win, but I know I'll lose_

* * *

After the unbelievably awkward exchange between the two of them and his stupidly uncharacteristic act, Draco had been avoiding Hermione like the plague. It had been two weeks now since their meet-up in the café and he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the bushy-haired girl since. It wasn't entirely because he was avoiding her, although he definitely was, but his life was chaotic right now. Astoria's family did not take well to his decision to divorce her, therefore even the few pureblood families left that didn't despise him before now did, simply because pureblood divorce was not something that happened often. It didn't matter that the reason for his divorce was because his wife was a harlot, divorce is apparently too drastic a punishment. According to his father, _"Even if the bastard wasn't yours, at least you would have had both a wife and child. Now what do you have to show for the Malfoy name? Nothing. Such a disappointment."_ He didn't take his father's words to heart though considering the bastard is rotting in Azkaban and he's out free. Although, he was right about the Malfoy name being even more sullied now. Most pureblood families dislike the once great Malfoy name because they left during the Battle of Hogwarts the night of their Dark Lord's demise, making them both cowards and traitors. Other families dislike Draco and Narcissa even more because they weren't sentenced to Azkaban like the other Death Eaters. Narcissa was sentenced to a 10-year house arrest and had her wand snapped. Draco was sentenced to a two-year house arrest and his wand was confiscated for five years, only to be given back in the case of upstanding behavior and obvious repentance for his crimes. Now, the few pureblood families that still thought the Malfoys were worthy of socially associating with cast them away too, all because Draco did not want to stay with a cheater and raise another man's child. Because of this, Draco hasn't gone out in public in some time; he has no reason to. Staying under the radar just seemed the best way to go when everyone despised you.

* * *

It had now been two months since Draco had last seen Hermione Granger. Since the fire about his divorce and the drama it caused amongst purebloods has since cooled down, Draco decided to stop at Flourish & Blotts in Diagon Alley to see if any new books had come in he might be interested in. After browsing the aisles, he thought maybe he'd stop in at Florean Fortescue's for a bit of ice cream. On his way to the bookstore he noticed a small crowd gathered near the front of the door. _Fantastic, a large crowd of people who hate me is exactly what I need right now._ Sighing loudly in frustration he went to turn around to return home and try browsing for books another day when he noticed something standing in the middle of the crowd. Bushy hair. Slowly walking closer to the scene, he started listening to what was clearly being shouted.

"I don't understand why you're even here, Ronald! We're not together anymore, we're not even friends anymore! Get the hell out of my way!"

That grating sound was obviously coming from Granger. Ronald? So, she's having a bit of a public lover's spat with the weasel? Why is she even associating with that mess of a human?

"I'm here because I wanted to talk to you! Why should I need a reason? Since when are we not friends anymore? We've been friends since we were kids!"

Draco chuckled lowly as he continued to move closer to the commotion. That ginger really is a gigantic dolt. Honestly, as if she'd stoop so low to be friends with the likes of him. He never understood why someone of her intelligence was friends with him before, for her to befriend him now after his betrayal to her would be plain idiotic. Suddenly a red spark emitted from Granger's wand and he heard the redhead yelp in pain.

"OW! What the bloody 'ell was that for, 'Mione? No wonder we didn't work out, you're crazy woman!"

"I'm crazy? _I'M_ the crazy one? You cheated on me!" *zap* "OW!" "You imbecile!" *zap* "OW!" "You no-good, cheating, lying piece of- "

Suddenly Granger's wand was flying out of her hand and into the redhead's.

"Knock it off, 'Mione! No wonder I cheated on you! You're a bossy know-it-all. I don't know how I stayed married to you as long as I did, I should've slept with someone else sooner. No wonder you don't have any friends, you loon."

The smile that had formed on Draco's face from witnessing Granger attack Weasley slipped off his face at the sight of her now. Her face was crestfallen, and tears were forming in her eyes. How dare that useless git say shite like that to her. If only he had his wand he might be able to- no. What was he thinking? Why would he defend the Gryffindor princess? She just looked pathetic standing there crying and he's not a completely cold-hearted bastard, that's all. He looked back to the weasel when he heard an annoyingly nasal voice speak.

"Come Ronny, we don't need to stay here with this ugly troll a second longer. She obviously isn't worth our time," a blonde fake looking woman hanging obnoxiously off Weasley said, smirking while looking over at Granger.

"You're right Sabrina. I don't know why I thought I'd want to be friends with you anymore, Hermione. You're so pathetic, have fun living the rest of your life alone with only your ugly cat as a friend," he sneered.

At the sound of the choked sob coming from Granger, Draco saw red. Without stopping to think of the consequences he pushed his way through the crowd until he was standing in front of Weasley.

"You've never been worthy of being near her. She's the only reason your idiotic arse passed your assignments in school and she's probably the only reason you didn't die in the war too. She's ten times the woman that skank hanging on your arm will ever be. You made the biggest mistake of your life turning your back on her, but you never deserved someone like her in your life anyway. The way I see it, the only pathetic one here is you," he said through gritted teeth.

"Wow, 'Mione, I thought you were pathetic before but to know you now have a Death Eater defending- "is as far as Ron got in response before Draco's fist bashed into the side of his jaw.

Draco brought his arm back to punch the ungrateful snot's face in again when someone grabbed onto his elbow. He turned around sneering ready to hit whoever interrupted him when he saw that it was Granger who was holding onto him.

"He isn't worth it, Draco. You're still on probation, come with me, you have to get out of here before the authorities come," she rushed out while pulling on his arm.

"That's right," Ron paused to spit blood out of his mouth, "get out of here, no one wants you or him here, you Death Eater whore!" he shouted.

Before Draco could respond Hermione _accio'_ d her wand from Ron then pointed it at him and shouted " _Diffindo!_ " causing cuts to appear on his face and arms. Hermione grabbed ahold of Draco once more and they disapparated to the sounds of Ron's whimpering cries.

* * *

 **A/N: So that happened. Again, I really am so sorry this has taken so long to get to you. I don't even know if anyone is reading anymore or still interested in this but I'm sorry! A lot of stuff has happened since I last uploaded and it's just been real busy. I'm not gonna make more promises and say the story will be 100% finished but I am going to try very hard to take some time out of my day and type more chapters. I don't have any outline or anything so I've no clue what's gonna happen next or how long this will end up being but I'd say we're halfway through. Thank you to everyone who has read my story, it really does mean a lot. Hopefully you enjoyed this and I'll see you soon.**


	5. I Wanna Love

**A/N: So this is awkward. It's been... over a year? I'll admit, that is entirely my bad. In my defense though, a lot has happened. Anywho, read on. Also, this is the last chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Harry Potter. Would looooove to own Draco Malfoy though.**

 _ **"**_ _And I'd sing a song, that'd be just ours_

 _But I sang 'em all to another heart_

 _And I wanna cry I wanna learn to love_

 _But all my tears have been used up"_

* * *

When the chaotic spinning that accompanied unexpected side-apparition dissipated Draco was still fuming over the Weasley's words. How dare that imbecile say such horrid things to Granger? How dare that sorry excuse for a wizard say such horrid things to _him?_ Then to accuse Hermione of being a- no. He couldn't even say the words in his head. And what was with that vapid tramp hanging off his arm? Did he really think _that woman_ was better than Granger? Draco couldn't imagine being so dimwitted as to willingly decide to leave someone as intelligent and lovely as Granger for such a distasteful cow.

While Draco was ruminating over the recent confrontation, he noticed Granger was no longer at his side. Looking around he found himself in a decently sized room with an old beat up couch in one corner and some large rectangular object hanging on the wall across from it. _Curious_ , he thought. Assuming he was in Granger's home he began walking around in search of the woman. He heard her before he saw her. She was in her kitchen searching through her cabinets, roughly slamming objects down. Her hair was flying around as if electrocuted, and she was heatedly cursing the Weasel under her breath.

".. absolutely ridiculous, as if _I_ was the one who sought _him_ out! And to start a scene right there in front of seemingly the entire wizarding world! And don't even get me started on-"

Draco cleared his throat to get her attention. Startled, she looked up, as if only just realizing he was still in her home.

"Not that I don't appreciate you getting me out of there before the authorities arrived and threw me in Azkaban for good, but I did have other plans for today and really should get going," he drawled, seemingly bored.

She huffed.

"Oh, well I am _so_ terribly sorry to have disturbed your plans, Malfoy. Next time I'll try not to save your sorry arse. Next time I'll try not to be publicly berated by my buffoon of an ex and his new dim twit so I don't disrupt your precious plans. Next time I'll just-" she cut off her sarcastic tirade.

"Did I not just say I was appreciative? I'm quite positive I did. However, I didn't hear any sort of thanks from your end for stepping in and defending you," he mumbled the last bit. Honestly, did this woman have no manners? He simply stated he should get going, there really was no reason for her to act so trollish to him.

She stood there gaping for a solid minute before exploding.

" _Excuse me?_ Did you just- I can't believe you would have the _audacity_ to even _think_ let alone _say_ \- I'll have you know Draco Malfoy that I did not ask for your help. I did not ask for you to intrude in a conversation that had absolutely nothing to do with you. I certainly do not have to express my gratitude to you, you self-righteous prick!" she screamed.

He dimly noticed that she was stunning in her fury before her words made an impact in his brain.

"Didn't ask- Well of course you didn't ask for my help, why would you? I'm just a no-good lowly Death Eater, right? Merlin forbid I had enough compassion to come to the aid of a distressed woman sobbing in the middle of Diagon Alley," he sneered.

"Don't you dare make this about yourself! I didn't need to ask anyone for help because I can handle him myself! If you only stepped in to get some sick sort of recognition from me, then you shouldn't have opened your mouth to begin with. I don't need anyone's pity, and I especially don't need _your_ pity," she spat.

"What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?" he seethed.

"Come on, Malfoy. You know what it means. The great Draco Malfoy, perfect pureblooded Prince of Slytherin. You think so highly of yourself, as if everyone else is just the dirt beneath your feet," she began walking towards him until she was right in his face.

"Well guess what? You are no better than anyone, and you're especially not better than me. We ended up in the same fucked up situation. Spouses who cheat on us, a wizarding public who looks down on us or pities us. We have both been publicly embarrassed and have had all of our dirty laundry broadcasted to all of wizarding Britain. We are both pathetic, broken imitations of ourselves. We are unloved and we are alone. So tell me Malfoy, why should I accept _your_ pity?" she fumed.

Draco had to swallow the lump that had risen in his throat during her speech. She was right. Of course she was right, she's Hermione Granger, but did she have to be _so_ right that he couldn't even get enough air into his lungs to fucking _breathe?_ Of course his life was a mess and he was absolutely ruined but until this moment he thought he had put on an impressive façade. He had his steel Slytherin mask in place so that people wouldn't be able to tell what he was feeling. But this woman, this tiny slip of a woman, just took his mask and fucking _shattered_ it. Forget the fact that everyone knew about the destruction of his marriage. Forget the fact that in his sixth year all of Hogwarts saw him become a ghost of his former self as he faded away attempting the dauntless task he was given by the Dark Lord. Forget the fact all of the Wizengamot saw him cry during his trial after the war when he wasn't sentenced to Azkaban. No, in this moment, as he stood in front of Hermione Granger gasping for breath, he had never felt more vulnerable and exposed in his life.

* * *

Hermione was livid. Not only did she have her day ruined by her ex-husband, but now she had Draco sodding Malfoy standing in her kitchen pissing her off even more. When she woke up that morning she really hadn't predicted that she would be verbally attacked in Diagon Alley by Ron and his bimbo of the month. Who did he think he was, saying all of that rude shit to her? Sure, they'd had more than a few disagreements over the years they've been friends and him cheating on her really was supremely messed up, but this? He was senselessly rude all because she said she didn't want to be friends with the man who broke her heart. If it hadn't happened to her personally, she didn't know if she'd believe he could be such a menace. Then to further insult her by mentioning the one insecurity she has had her entire life, to say she would be alone? She hadn't even realized she was crying in public until Malfoy, of all people, stepped up and defended her. Now she knew he only did it because he expected her gratitude, but at the time she was amazed. _Draco Malfoy_ was defending _her_? She was an odd mixture of mortified and grateful. It was then she freaked out because she saw a red spark in the air, meaning someone had called for the aurors. In her panic she remembered Draco was on probation so, naturally being the good person she is, she grabbed his arm and fled to safety. She wouldn't have done it though if she had known how he was going to thank her once they made it back to her home.

Looking at him now after her, admittedly rude, rant he appeared to be struggling to breathe.

"Alright, Malfoy?" she inquired, still slightly heated. She really didn't need him dying in her kitchen. That would be just the thing to make this day infinitely worse.

"Alright? You just tear me to shreds and expect me to be alright?" he gasped.

"You've never cared when I've sparred with you before," she mumbled.

"Sparring? You just sliced me into a million pieces then poured salt into the wound and hung me up to dry in a desert and you call that _sparring?_ " he choked out.

"I'm pretty sure Ron was the one I sliced into a million pieces," she murmured.

"Would you listen to me, Granger? You just destroyed my façade and completely exposed me for the pathetic man that I am and you're making _jokes?_ How can you be so blasé about this?"

She glanced up at him at that and saw how truly destroyed he looked. She hadn't realized in her ire the damage she was inflicting upon him. Hadn't she just been crying in public due to someone preying on her insecurities? Now here she was demolishing someone else's. She gasped and took a few steps back from him. She never wanted this. She never wanted to be the reason someone else felt pain. What was she doing, tormenting him this way?

"Malfoy I," she gasped "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... I'm so sorry," she stuttered. She just knew her cheeks were blazing red from her embarrassment. She felt so ashamed.

Malfoy slowly shook his head, then turned around. He put his hands on the doorframe and bent his head, seeming utterly defeated.

"I didn't defend you because I pitied you," he whispered, brokenly. "I defended you because no one should have to deal with that. I defended you because Weasley is a prick and he needed someone to put him in his place. I defended you because you were hurt. You were just standing there alone like a wounded animal and no one was doing anything to help you. I defended you..." he choked back what sounded like a sob, "because I feel for you, because I think of you as a friend, because I.." he trailed off.

He dropped to his knees and began sobbing. She stood there in complete shock, tears streaming down her face.

"Because you what?" she whispered after he stopped sobbing.

"I don't know how to do this, Hermione," he muttered hoarsely. "You deserve so much. You deserve someone who can give you everything. And I would, Merlin I would. I would give you every last part of me if I could, but there's nothing left of me. I have given every part of me to other things. My parents, my education, the Dark Lord, Astoria. I have nothing left, Hermione. Nothing left to share with you, but I want to," he turned around to look in her eyes. In a fleeting thought she noticed how beautiful his grey eyes looked when shimmering with tears. "Hermione I want to learn with you, if you would have me. But I can't... I can't be broken again. All my tears have been used up."

It was in that moment that she understood Draco Malfoy. Staring down at him sitting on his knees imploring with her to give him a chance, she understood. Hermione slowly lowered herself to the floor in front of him. She raised her hands and placed them on his cheeks, all the while steadily gazing into his eyes.

A few months ago, everything in Hermione's life changed. The man she was in love with abandoned her and she had to rediscover how to live her life alone again. Ron had been such an integral part of her childhood and adulthood that living in a world without him was jarring. She hadn't even realized she was living her life in a daze until Draco decided to go into that muggle coffeeshop. Meeting him again, conversing with him, learning his story, she found herself becoming invested in something again for the first time in a while. It was like she had been living underwater in a muted existence and when Draco reentered her life she resurfaced and took a huge breath of fresh air. In him she had found a kindred spirit. She found someone just as broken by this cruel world as she was. Maybe they wouldn't be good for each other. Maybe they both would just end up with more pain than they started with. At least they were both starting at rock bottom so there wasn't anything to lose. If Draco was willing to take the terrifying plunge and ask her to give him a chance, then she refused to be the one who cowered in fear of being hurt.

So as Draco sat there staring at her with unbridled fear, she took a deep a breath and decided to dive as well, muttering the one word they both needed to hear the most.

"Yes."

 **A/N: Soooooooo that's a wrap on Another Love! Sorry it took almost two years, whoops. Hope you like this short little songfic. Leave some reviews if you'd like, I'd love to know your thoughts. I probably won't write another story because apparently I lack motivation, but this has been a fun learning experience. Ciao! :)**


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